I won a car in a sweepstakes, and ended up selling it for more than I thought I would. I get the check today, and plan on celebrating with a lumber shopping spree. I mostly make small decorative boxes with inlays, so a board foot or two goes a very long way, and I figured I’d get smallish amounts of a bunch of different types of wood. So far my shopping list includes bubinga, wenge, purpleheart, walnut, padauk, mahogany, and birdseye maple. But the lumber yard is also full of different domestic species I’m not very familiar with. I’ve already got quite a bit of birch, cherry, and oak, but what other woods would you add to the list if you were going on a spree? I’m looking for woods that will look distinctive either as the body of a box or as strips of inlay, so grain pattern and color are both significant. Also, what woods are completely annoying to work with and best avoided so I don’t cause myself too many headaches?

-- "When you lose the power to laugh, you lose the power to think straight" - Inherit the Wind

All the woods mentioned are nice. Not sure of availability in your area but I would mention Elm (often under appreciated), Texas Ebony, Mesquite, Marble wood, tulip wood, amboyna, and look for anything burl. Congrats on the money.

I agree with everything stated above. Spalted sycamore is great and since the money is there I would be in the market for some pink ivory, gaboon, amboyna burl, snakewood, brazilian rosewood. I could keep going but I’ll stop and say get one of everything, oh and flame box elder cuz Its awesome. I’m going to do some flame box elder bowls to use at a 4th of july party. Nice flames and explosive reds. YEAH

For an incredibly interesting grain, try Chechen. Most people don’t know much about it. I’m surprised that others haven’t mentioned cocobolo, bocote or bloodwood – some of my favorites.

Regarding tulipwood – There are 2 woods called tulipwood. The north american version is a type of poplar and it is not very interesting. The south american version (a.k.a. pau rosa) is spectacular. It is a member of the rosewood family. There are many members of the rosewood family and most of them are very beautiful. I’m particularly fond of indian rosewood and honduran rosewood. Warning – the dust from rosewoods can be toxic.

I used to think that tulipwood referred to tulip poplar (I’ve got a huge one in my front yard), and wondered why the price was so high for such a basic and uninteresting wood, and why it was available only in relatively small sizes. Then a professional woodworking friend gave me a tulipwood cutoff for pen turning, and boy, were my eyes opened!

You’re right, tulipwood is a rosewood (dalbergia frutescens), as is cocobolo (dalbergia retusa), and anything with dalbergia as part of the scientific name.

You might also head over to Paxton Lumber Co. in Denver and see what kinda goodies they have. The Paxton in Cincinnati has a wood selection room with all sorts of domestics and exotics. Last time I was in there I walked out with a bunch of figured purpleheart.

I’ve always heard that it was illegal to export Brazilian Rosewood out of Brazil. I also understand that this particular rosewood is very rarely grown outside of Brazil. Therefore, it is very hard to get Brazilian rosewood. I know I have never seen any available for sale. Am I wrong (I often am)?

At least 2 people on this page have referenced Brazilian rosewood. Where are you getting it?